HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-four artists from 83 countries started their journey of "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" this Friday by visiting the Archeological Ruins of Liangzhu City and Liangzhu Museum, in Hangzhou, capital city of east China' Zhejiang Province.

This activity was part of the 1st Liangzhu Forum, aims at deepening civilized dialogue with the countries that jointly built the "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". Artists were amazed by the empirical sites of China's 5,000-year history of civilization, as well as the diversity and richness of China's history, culture and art. 

"I have seen many artifacts similar to my own country here. These amazing common elements between Nigerian and Chinese culture definitely bring much inspiration to my later creations, " said Nigerian artist Oladotun Olatunbosun Alabi, who was fascinated by the jade articles unearthed in Liangzhu and the Chinese culture.

It was the second visit to Hangzhou by German artist Tobias Zaft who studied in China. "China's 5,000-year history has greatly influenced the world. My primary artistic direction is environmental protection. During my visit to Liangzhu, I learned that the sustainable lifestyle of ancient aborigines made Liangzhu's ecology the biggest beneficiary. "It made me rethink how to get inspiration in environmental protection," said Tobias Zaft.

Mathilde Moreau Epse Kouassi, an artist from the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,said that the Liangzhu Museum comprehensively displayed the production process of Liangzhu jade dated back to 5,000 years ago, which opened her eyes. She was fascinated by the most advanced production methods then and greatly enjoyed the charm of Hangzhou's culture.

After the three-day immersive experience of Liangzhu, foreign artists will combine their own cultural vision with Chinese culture and use personalized artistic language to to accomplish the beauty of a cross-cultural integration and exchange between East and West.

Artists will concentrate on creating a series of artworks after their visit and their works will be displayed in the "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" exhibition held in early December. (By Liu Yunchen)